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Unveiling the Inner Artist: InterArts Cabinet of Curiosity

Marilyn Brach

Marilyn Brach is an artist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania currently enrolled as a first-year at Trinity College. Marilyn specializes in vocal performance and theatre, but loves to explore different artistic mediums. She loves to utilize her own personal experiences in her art as a way to bring people together. Marilyn is looking forward to furthering her artistic endeavors and becoming more involved in Trinity’s artistic community.

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"Heroes" by David Bowie
By Marilyn Brach
My found object isn’t an object persay, but it is a song, "Heroes" by David Bowie. I believe the word “object” can be used very broadly when speaking of something we deem should be protected or important. So even though you can’t physically hold "Heroes" by David Bowie,you can play it on repeat and come back to it whenever you feel necessary. At first I wanted to preserve this iconic song because I loved it and the message was always something that resonated with me, but after looking into it more deeply there is actually a historical significance that I believe needs to be thought of whenever you hear "Heroes".

After becoming burnt out by the nonstop demand of the music industry, Bowie chose to move to Berlin in 1976, where he was able to redevelop his musical craft. From that,"Heroes" was born. The song is about two lovers who live on opposite sides of the Berlin Wall. They are so determined to be together that despite the tumultuous political climate surrounding them, they meet everyday under a gun turret on the Berlin Wall. From 1961 to 1989, the Berlin Wall was a symbol for both the physical and ideological divide of Berlin. Bowie released on September 23rd, 1977, and it was initially a commercial failure, but it soon became an anthem not only for Bowie, but also for people all over the world. Two years before it was announced the Berlin Wall would be demolished, Bowie performed "Heroes" at the Platz der Rebulik Festival in what was West Berlin. While performing this powerful ballad about unity, people from East Berlin were listening from the other side of the wall, providing unity despite division.

The overall theme of Bowie’s classic "Heroes" is one of unity, showcasing that it is us
against the world. I believe this idea is always prevalent, but especially now with the on-going
pandemic and a current political system that feels hopeless. The world is a scary place and there
are few moments when everything is truly blissful, it seems as if there is always something
negative occurring in the world, but songs like "Heroes" provide an escape from reality and gives
us a sense of optimism for the future. As a result of the success from the book and movie, the
Perks of Being a Wallflower, a new and younger generation has adopted the tune as something
that exemplifies freedom and liberation. For me personally, whenever I listen to "Heroes" I feel as
if I am invincible and can conquer the world. No matter happy or sad, I can always count on
"Heroes" to lift my spirits. I believe the only word to describe this tune is timeless. It has been
around for almost 45 years, and continues to have an impact on people of all ages and each of
them have their own meaning for it, which I think is absolutely beautiful and why "Heroes" should
be remembered forever. Even though you can’t physically touch the song "Heroes" like a normal
object, it carries a historical significance and emotional weight any other object would.
A Trip to the Festival
By Marilyn Brach
An object within the Watkinson Library that sparked my interest was the extensive collections of photography. In particular, I chose an image of three women circa 1971 at some kind of festival. Their individual expressions and style is what drew me into this little world captured by the photographer, Ken Heyman. Though simple in nature, I believe the photo speaks to the past and present in many different and intriguing ways.

Ken Heyman was a prominent American photographer who was born in New York City in 1930. Throughout high school he was interested in photography, but he only considered it a hobby. In college, Heyman studied with the famous anthropologist, Margaret Mead, going on multiple exploratory trips with her once graduating from college. Heyman went on to work for many magazines, including Life, and won “The World Understanding” award, which is considered to be the top award in photography. His work encapsulated the simplicity of human life, Mead had said Heyman “photographs relationships”. Personally, I love simple photographs of everyday life, they always affect me more than a photograph that was staged or had the intention of being a photograph. This way you can create your own story behind each image.

The 1970’s have always been a period of interest to me, historically and culturally. It was such a turbulent time, yet some of the most influential and impactful artists were at their peak during this era. I think about now in the age of a pandemic, how artists and creatives were able to adapt and create beautiful works of art under the circumstances. The photograph captures this freeing and easy-going nature with the main subject, but when you look behind the one woman to the other two women you are left with something more serious and somber. Both I believe represent the two different aspects of the 70’s, the artistic hippie movement and another characterized by struggle and hardship. I view the festival as a way to escape everyday life, providing people with a place to just thrive. I long for the day when we as a community can get this feeling back and just thrive.
Homesickness Represented
By Marilyn Brach
Homesick: experiencing a longing for one's home during a period of absence from it. In my place at this time and very moment, I am feeling very homesick, and it has been a pretty consistent feeling I would say. As a freshman in college during a pandemic, homesickness is something I’ve had to not only navigate but also get used to. I chose to make something in response to how I have been feeling and the place I call home, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Pittsburgh is known for many things; rivers, steel, sports, ketchup, but most importantly, in my humble opinion, bridges. The abundance of iconic yellow bridges is the first thing I think of when thinking of home, besides my lovely family and friends. I decided to draw one of the sister bridges, the Rachel Carson bridge to be more specific. Rachel Carson is a famous environmentalist, most famous for her novel Silent Spring, who was born in Pittsburgh. When doing the drawing I used a photo for reference to outline the structure of the bridge. I decided to leave the background almost entirely plain in order to highlight the structure of the bridge. Doing the outline of the bridge was pretty tedious because I wanted to ensure the lines were exact and prominent. I used the creation of this object as a way to explore a different artistic side of me. I hope to further develop my drawing skills, so one day I can freehand things as opposed to outlining them.

At this point in my life, I feel as if I have seen the bridges of Pittsburgh from every angle possible. From the river while I was on the crew team in high school, from the bike trails I would go on with my Dad during the weekend, from the air in an airplane, and especially the perspective of actually being on the bridge, whether in a car or on foot. It took going to college for me to really appreciate the beauty that is Pittsburgh. While in high school, all I wanted to do was to get out of the city and go far away, and I ended up doing so, but a moment doesn’t go by where I don’t miss the city and everything that comes with it. For example, the feeling of going through the Fort Pitt Tunnel and seeing the city skyline is indescribable to me, it’s the best feeling in the world, every time it’s as if I am looking at the city for the very first time again. I will never be able to recreate that feeling with anything else and that is what makes Pittsburgh so special. I cannot wait to be back.

Homesickness, for me, also includes missing my tangible home. The comfort of my own bed, my backyard, and obviously can’t forget about my loving dog, oh and my parents too. But seriously, I miss my Mom and Dad the most. I call them when I can, but usually a phone call just results in me missing them more. It's hard to see my friends whose parents can easily come for a day trip, when for my parents they have to take off work and then drive seven to eight hours just to visit me. In the end, the distance between my parents and I only makes the reunion at the end of the semester more special.
For Venghour
By Marilyn Brach
Whenever faced with the opportunity of gift-giving, I am always unsure of whether my gift will be good enough. For me personally, gift-giving is such a personal act and it’s something that I normally put a lot of time and effort into. The act of formulating and making a gift for someone is a beautiful way to show your appreciation for a person. At first, I was lost at what I should gift Venghour. Then I started thinking. My main inspiration for this gift was friendship and Trinity’s campus since Venghour is currently not on campus with us. I figured I would make a video of me walking around campus, showing Venghour how I perceive the place that I now call home.

Making the video for Venghour was a very fun experience for me. I was able to walk around campus and experience things in a new way, it was almost as if I was looking at everything with fresh eyes. I also decided to sing “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from the classic Pixar movie Toy Story. I chose this song in particular because I believe the meaning of friendship conveyed resonates really well with what I was trying to create. I also wanted to find a way to incorporate my love for singing into one of my cabinet objects since I have not been able to yet this semester. My singing is in no way perfect, but my goal was for it to sound more conversational rather than polished, and I think I achieved that goal. When editing the video, I made sure to put the clips from my walk as close to chronological order as possible so it could be like Venghour is actually on a walk with me. There are also special guests sprinkled in throughout, those being fellow InterArts members. My whole reason for making this video was so I could let Venghour know that once he gets on campus, there will be all of these wonderful people waiting for him.

Venghour never ceases to amaze me. The dedication to his dancing and other various art forms is so inspiring. He is one of the most talented and caring people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Even if there are 8,000 miles between Connecticut and Cambodia, it sure does not feel that way in class. I remember last semester I was presenting a project I was not very proud of and Venghour had nothing but positive things to say about it. In a moment where I did not feel confident in my work, Venghour was able to change my mindset. Despite only meeting Venghour virtually, one of the things I have learned from him is that you shouldn’t really be concerned if what you create is “good” because at the end of the day, it’s yours and at least one person will enjoy it. I am so excited for the day Venghour finally comes to campus, and I hope he feels the same way because I know for a fact everyone will be welcoming him with open arms.

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Marilyn Brach